The great secret
by Sjeherazade
Summary: Randall is sneaking around for something to report to miss Finster but what he finds out, will make him want to quit sneaking forever
1. Chapter 1

**The great secret**

**I don't own recess or any characters, I just love to write. / Sjeherazade**

**Randall is sneaking around for something to report to miss Finster but what he finds out, will make him want to quit sneaking forever**

Randall was sitting alone, hidden behind a tree. His face was white as a ghost. He couldn't put this thing he had found out of his head. He couldn't tell Finster, still this secret was too big for him. He knew it would bring him down, it was too much for him to know but he couldn't find anyone to tell, who would listen…

When they all went inside the building, TJ glanced around for Spinelli, hoping to get a chance to talk to him before class starts. She was nowhere. Class began, no Spinelli. When Recess came around, she was still missing and the friends began to worry. Then they saw Randall coming out from the nurse office.

"Wait, isn't the nurse on holiday?" Gretchen asked. The others agreed, and Randall didn't seem ill, he was up to something.

When these thoughts struck then they forgot about Spinelli and decided to find out what Randall had planed. Lunch finally came around, and Gus sat down at the same table as Randall to try to figure out something.

After a while he gave up. Randall did answer his questions but, for some reason the answers was… too good. Gus thought. He decided to try one last thing before leaving. (Randall hadn't eaten anything of his food – which made Gus think something was very wrong.

"So, what was the last thing you said to Miss Finster?"

Randall honestly told him who he had blabbed on and why, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Gus couldn't find more to ask after that, this was just too weird. And what was even worse, Randall seemed so tired, maybe he really was looking for the nurse anyway, and maybe he had just forgotten that she was on vacation.

After next class he knew that Randall wasn't ill. Miss Finster came in to the classroom and told them that someone had broken in to the nurse's office and looked in her computer. A serious crime.

The friends looked at each other, trying to figure out what the others were thinking.

No recess until anyone told who it was…

No more recess this entire day.

At one time Mikey had to go to the bathroom, and happened to look in to Randall's classroom. The boy seemed to sleep on his desk.

When he was back in his own classroom he told the others, sending notes.

Gretchen and Vince was the only of the friends who would take the bus that day. They used that time to talk about the long recess less day but also other funnier things.

Vince left the bus as he was home and Gretchen looked around for someone else she wanted to speak with as her stop was still far away. But there were almost only adults, except for one kid from her school. Randall.

He looked out through the window, still seeing nothing. Gretchen knew that glance just too well, she had seen it very often, more often than she wanted to admit to anyone at school*.

Gretchen sighed and walked over to him.

"Hello Randall!"

He didn't notice her, then she sat down beside him.

"Randall I know it was you who sneaked in to the nurse, I saw you…" Gretchen picked her words extremely carefully now, she didn't want to make in worse for him, not this time, it was so obvious that he had found something that he hadn't expected and that it was painful.

Randall signed for himself and turned to her.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Gretchen watched him carefully.

"Yes!"

"I was sneaking as you say, miss Finster wanted to know if someone had faked sick lately… ok I thought she would like to know it was the best thing I could come up with… "

"Ok so what!" Gretchen interrupted, Randall sat quiet for a moment.

"Do you… remember yesterday? Spinelli's father came to school to pick her up before the final class, BEFORE the final class."

"What is it?"

Randall couldn't make himself to say more. And then Gretchen decided to take over his part

"Randall, if you do not speak I will tell Miss Finster!" Then Randall finally looked at her.

"You would blab on me?"

***In my Recess fics Randall is Gretchen's cousin which she hasn't told anyone**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Gretchen ran in to her room and slammed the door. This couldn't be true, it just couldn't be true. But Randall had seen it, he had read the words in the nurse's computer and even though Gretchen hated to admit it, she trusted him, at least as far as it came to telling the truth. 

No wonder why Randall had seemed so down after coming out from there, according to Mikeys note… he had fallen asleep in class…

And when she thought about yesterday, at lunch, she remembered Spinelli hadn't wanted to eat. Still it just couldn't be that horrible Gretchen thought.

Tears came from her eyes as the memory from the bus came over her.

"_Randall, if you do not speak I will tell Miss Finster"…_

"_You would blab on me?"…_

"_Yes I will!"…_

"… _it's… Spinelli…"_

"_Yes"_

If that was what Randall had on his mind the entire day there was not strange that he had seemed that tired, very few people would be able to carry that kind of secrets and obviously Randall wasn't strong enough. A knock on the door called Gretchen back to reality. Her mum reminded her it was time for dinner.

Gretchen came down and saw her favourite food on the table, it didn't matter, she couldn't eat.

Next day she couldn't go to school either. She faked sick when her parents came to wake her up. And she staid in bed the entire day. Randall did the same. Gretchen actually felt sick. She didn't want to tell the others why Spinelli was excused from school, someone else had to do that... someone adult.

After school had ended that day her mum came in to her.

"Feeling better?"

"…"

"A friend is here to see you!"

Gretchen sat up. A friend, who? Why? Then she heard herself say "I feel better let him come in"

A few seconds later Vince was in the room. He had brought her homework books.

"You weren't in school today…" He began. Gretchen knew that he could see she wasn't sick at all. She saw that he was worried. She laid down on her bed again. Couldn't repeat the words Randall had told her. She didn't want Vince or anyone to have something real to worry about.

"Gretchen what's wrong?"

"… _if you do not speak I will tell Miss Finster"…_

"_You would blab on me?"…_

"_Yes I will!"…_

"… _it's… Spinelli…"_

"_Yes"_

"_She has… she is very, very sick"_

"_Yes?" Gretchen said, starting to feel frustrated now. _

"Gretchen?" Gretchen looked at Vince who had just brought her back to now. "Gretchen we all wondered where you were today, we have been really worried and then your dad told us that you faked sick!" That was it. Gretchen thought. Her parents knew she wasn't sick, they had let her stay at home anyway. She wondered why they thought she had faked, what reason they believed she had…

She couldn't find more excuses now, she had to tell as it seemed like no one had done it. She took a deep breath

"Vince…" She began, trying not to cry when he repeated the words that had come out from Randall's lips last day. _"Spinelli has cancer"…_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Vince took a step backwards in shock and placed a hand over his mouth to not scream when he got this news.

And that was all he remembered later that night, he had gone to bed, unable to sleep, thinking about his friend who had now been missing for two days. A feeling that an empty desk in the classroom in the future was to wait, it would feel so wrong.

3 in the morning he felt a hand on him, he wasn't asleep yet. He turned to see his brother Chad.

"You cried"

Vince didn't deny this fact but he couldn't tell his brothers, the words just didn't want to come. Sobbing he let Chad take him in his arms hugging him until he fell asleep.

Next day Vince suffered from a bad headache from all water he had lost from crying during that night. But it didn't matter, it was Saturday, no school.

His memories from the conversation with Gretchen had come back a little now.

"_You weren't in school today…" _

"_Gretchen what's wrong?"_

"…"

"_Gretchen? Gretchen we all wondered where you were today, we have been really worried and then your dad told us that you faked sick!" _

"_Vince… __Spinelli has cancer"…_

"_No, when, why… how did you find out?"_

"_That was what Randall found in the nurses computer, he had tried to figure out if anyone had faked sick lately to tell Finster and then he found… this instead. I think he had a big shock in there."_

"_And he told you? When?"_

"_On the bus, I…" Gretchen actually smiled now. "I told him that I would blab on him and then he told me."_

Vince gave a sigh and sat down on his chair and just stared at his breakfast and then out through the window. It was a cloudy day, almost as the entire sky wanted to cry. His parents looked at him as if day prepared to call a doctor in case he fainted, then he left without eating a bit.

Of course that wasn't possible. He was immediately called back and wasn't allowed to go until he had eaten more than he used to.

The only comforting thing was the unknowing glance in Chad's eyes. Vince knew that his brother hadn't told their parents that he had been crying all night.

The sound of the doorbell called him back to reality. He had sat down in the TVroom, not turned the TV on, he preferred to stare at the roof. Then Gus came in to him. They had decided to meet that day and finish their homework, at least if it wasn't better weather than it were, in that case they had went out to play instead. But Gus had something else on his mind first.

"Did you figure out what was wrong with Gretchen yesterday?" He asked, then he saw that Vince didn't feel so well either. A feeling that Gretchen had passed over the illness to Vince came to him.

"I did!" Vince answered weakly. Trying to keep in a good mood. "She is ok… it's Spinelli who's sick"

"Spinelli?"

Then Gus reminded himself that they had been wondering about her before they caught sight of Randall in the nurse's office.

"Yes, I now I remember, so how is it with her?"

Then Vince got to know how hard it must have been for Gretchen to say it, maybe for Randall too, even if he wasn't Spinelli's closest friend, it was hard to say it.

"Maybe we should… maybe we should go visit her" Gus said slowly after a while, and after he had quit shaking.

"Maybe we should tell the others…"

"Hm…"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

They all met outside the hospital, for a moment they planned, they had a feeling that the doctors wouldn't let them in to Spinelli so they let Gretchen sneak in to a computer room and find out where to look at the same time as the boys asked questions to all doctors that came too close.

Finally they came to Spinelli's room. She was asleep, she didn't move, she had hoses all over her body, but still she seemed so peaceful, not like the Spinelli they knew at all.

"Oh, poor little Spin… so full of life… so…" Mikey begun. He couldn't continue.

TJ couldn't speak at all; he hadn't said a word since Vince and Gus told them where they were going and why.

"Yes, she's so young!" Said someone behind them, someone they hadn't seen before. It was Mr Spinelli.

"How long have you been here?" Said Gus as Mr Spinelli came towards them.

"The entire morning. But kids, you don't need to… I mean, she have known this for five months now."

"You mean she knew she had cancer and didn't tell us!" That was the first thing TJ had said since he got the news.

"That was her decision, she wanted no pity, she didn't want anyone to feel sorry for her but the thing is…"

"The thing is I don't care!" Then TJ ran out and the others followed him, didn't have time to listen to Mr Spinelli.

"We have to do something; Spinelli will not die with no one to feel sorry if that is what she think!" TJ told the others outside the hospital.

"But if she wanted it that way…" Mikey tried but then he saw that Gretchen had the same feelings as TJ and Vince seemed to think in the same way too. And TJ hadn't even noticed that Mikey had spoken.

"Gretchen, how much do you know?"

"Well I saw her in there, and then her dad said that she got this… several months ago, I don't think we will get a chance to speak to her again" Gretchen turned away in case she would begin crying.

"Then there is only one thing we can do for her!"

**Monday**

At the first recess TJ and Gretchen talked to the kids on the playground about what had happened to Spinelli and that they wanted to collect money for researching. This morning their "help-to-kill-cancer-club" had six members, they had asked Randall as he was the first one who had known how it was with Spinelli and he had accepted it before the first meeting, and after this meeting they began whit TJ and Gretchen informing everyone.

When recess was over they continued in the classrooms, someone from every class had actually joined and now helped by asking the teacher to teach about cancer this morning. Then they asked the right questions and got more members and when the day was over they were over 20 members and many more that had supported them with money to research on cancer.

In the classes that had many members before their first class had even begun had of course an easier job to do when it came to convincing their teachers to change this morning's subject.

And then they continued all over the town. And at home.

Ashley A stared at her younger sister Megan who had an unusually angry look after she had heard what her big sister had to say. "I don't want to come any closer to that cancer infected Spinelli-girl I don't want to get it myself so go away"

"It does not pass on to another human like that, didn't you listen to any of our information today?" Megan exclaimed. She had got to know Spinelli those weeks she had went to she same ballet studio and now she felt for her, she felt a pain in her heart when she thought that she would never be able to speak with her again, even if she rarely did that when she still had the chance.

"Not really, I had more important things to think about!"

"LIKE WHAT?"

Then a load sound came from another room. Ashley and Megan ran out to see what it was.

What they saw was Taylor, Brittany and mum's 200 000 000$ vase which laid in a thousands pieces on the floor. At the sight of his older sisters' Taylor let out an "Oops" and tried to make Brittany climb down from his back without breaking anything more.

"This is your problem!" Megan quickly said to Ashley and then just as quickly she danced out of the room and continued out to meet the other in the club to help them collect money outside the market.

Ashley stared at the other two who was looking down at their feet trying to make up some excuse for the destroyed vase. Suddenly she was struck with a fury that she had never felt before. She grabbed both her siblings and locked them in into the toilet and then went over to the other side of their big house were she couldn't hear them scream, and then she just forgot about them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

TJ and Megan A went in to Megan's home to get a loudspeaker system, that Megan had remembered that she had somewhere. It would be useful when they talked to the people in town, and when they read Mikeys poems.

When they arrived they heard cries from inside.

"Ashley let us out, call 911!"

"Taylor!" Megan called.

"HELP!"

Taylor and Brittany had been locked in for a very long time. Ashley hadn't come back no matter how much they had screamed so they sat in there until they got hungry. Finally Taylor fell asleep on the floor.

Later he woke up when something almost landed on his head. He sat up and caught sight of pack of washing powder, and in the middle of everything, was Brittany and she ate it.

"No, Brittany don't eat that!"

It didn't help and then something even worse hit him, he didn't know how much she had eaten before he woke up.

In panic he began to beat the door to call for help.

"Ashley, anyone, help!"

Megan and TJ ran over to the door only to discover that Ashley A had taken away the kea.

"Ashley must have locked them in, that would be so like her!" Megan muttered.

"Open the door! Brittany has eaten washing powder!" Megan ran over to Ashley's room and was soon back again.

"She's not here!"

"What!" TJ yelled

Behind the door they could hear Taylor sob now.

"What are we doing now?" cried Megan.

"Quiet I'm trying to think!" TJ screamed back. "I think I have an idea, Megan do you know where I can get some tools?"

A few minutes later they had lifted the door and the two in there was free.

They called a family doctor who immediately came to the solution that both Brittany and Taylor, who had been so scared when he saw Brittany eaten of the washing powder that it had resulted in a shock before TJ and Megan had got the door away, would have to stay at hospital over the night.

And before the doctor had left, Mr and Mrs Armbrusterarrived to hear everything about the door that was now lying on the floor.

Later when he and Megan installed the loudspeaker on the square said TJ "I bet that Ashley A will get a hell when she come home." Megan smiled even if there was no joy in it.

"That's just what she deserve."

During the same time Mikey tried to finish his poem.

He just couldn't come up with words beautiful enough for this special moment. He didn't know how to say everything he wanted to say this time.

Gretchen had visit Spinelli's to ask for the best photo they had on Spinelli and came back with one where her friend sat on a stone and looked out over the ocean. She had a billion of white flowers tucked in her hair.

She was some years younger on this photo but Gretchen thought that it was a perfect photo.

The loudspeaker was installed and Chad La Salle waited beside the microphones. He had been elected leader for the club. Behind him was the now enlarged picture of Spinelli with these white flowers in her hair.

In than moment Megan B came running. "Wait, don't start yet, I have a TV-team they want to send this all over the country."

When Mikey heard that their event could be seen all over the country he put his poem away to use it another time, he had a better idea for now. He would dedicate a song to Spinelli, a song he had been thinking of since the day he got the news that she was sick, he had thought about who Spinelli had been in their little gang and more important. What they would be now, when she wouldn't be there to take care of the bullies. They would have to take care of this thinks by themselves when she was gone.

And when Chad had finished his speech he walked over to the microphone and sang…

_When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;  
>When troubles come and my heart burdened be;<br>Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,  
>Until you come and sit awhile with me.<em>

_You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;  
>You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;<br>I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;  
>You raise me up: To more than I can be.<em>

_You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;  
>You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;<br>I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;  
>You raise me up: To more than I can be.*<em>

_*****_**This song was playing on the radio when I wrote the end of this chapter and I felt it would fit in.**


	6. Final Chapter

**The final Chapter**

Two months had passed since the square meeting, it was a very sunny day and everyone was in school.

Their banderols where still on the walls in the entire building.

They hadn't given up on Spinelli's memorial club either, and they were still working on it, making it better every day. The photo of Spinelli, that her parents had given to Gretchen, had become their club picture, they used it on everything when they wanted to show up somewhere and speak.

This was what Spinelli came back to. He walked towards a classroom Miss Grotke had pointed out for her when she asked for her friends.

She walked in the direction when she ran in to Gus in the door when he was on his way out.

"Spinelli?" Then he opened the door again to call for the others. "Hey, Spinelli is back!"

Then all six of them came out.

"Spinelli, we didn't think… you would come back…!" Mikey tried to say behind his tears. He had never been so lucky and would never be so happy again in his life.

"I am okay!" smiled Spinelli and took of her wig with a big laugh. "It will grow out again." She said when she saw their faces.

"But why didn't you tell us that you were sick?" Gretchen exploded.

"The doctor knew all the time that I would survive" Spinelli told them now. "There wasn't any reason for you to worry for me and I don't like pity. What's inside that door?"

Suddenly the others thought it was a really bad idea to show Spinelli what they had done when she was in hospital, they tried to stop her. Too late.

Spinelli opened the door and caught sight of all the banderols and… the enlarged photo on the wall.

In that moment the old Spinelli was back. Suddenly she seemed so dangerous.

"Who have seen this picture?" She said and glared at them. None of them dared to answer that question. "Come on, who have seen it, the entire school?" All five got very pale in front of her… "The town? The State?" Spinelli's voice died of a little when she came up with her next guess "The country?"

In that moment Randall came running.

"Hey everyone, the "Spinelli-memorial-rapport" from Romania has arrived!"

This was more than Spinelli could take.

"ROMANIA!" She roared. "I'LL GIVE YOU FOR ROMANIA!"

Randall gave a scream and ran away with the angry Spinelli close behind.

The end.


End file.
